Gilbert O'Sullivan

Gilbert O'Sullivan (born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan, 1 December 1946) is an Irish singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Clair" and "Get Down". The music magazine Record Mirror voted him the No. 1 UK male singer of 1972.

Worldwide he has charted 16 top-40 records, including six number one songs, the first of which was 1970's "Nothing Rhymed" (for further information see Gilbert O'Sullivan discography). Such was his popularity in the early 1970s that "Matrimony", an airplay and live favourite from his debut album Himself, remains one of his most famous compositions despite never having been a hit single (except in the Netherlands where it reached No. 4).

His most successful recording period was between 1970 and 1980, though he has since recorded ten studio albums up to 2015. Speaking in 2009 he said, "I write pop songs. End of story. That's all I wanted to do. That's all I want to do. And that's all I continue to want to do. I have no interest in just touring, and living in the past."

To the Extreme

To the Extreme is the major label debut studio album of American rapper Vanilla Ice and his best selling album. The album was initially released in 1989 by independent record label Ichiban Records under the title Hooked. Vanilla Ice signed to SBK Records, who reissued the album under its current title. The album contains Vanilla Ice's most successful singles, "Ice Ice Baby" and "Play That Funky Music". Although reviews of the album were mixed, To the Extreme spent 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, and sold 15 million copies worldwide.

History

In 1989 Vanilla Ice released an early version of To the Extreme under the title Hooked on Ichiban Records. "Play That Funky Music" was released as the album's first single, with "Ice Ice Baby" appearing as the B-side. The 12-inch single featured the radio, instrumental and a cappella versions of "Play That Funky Music" and the radio version and "Miami Drop" remix of "Ice Ice Baby". When a disc jockey played "Ice Ice Baby" instead of the single's A-side, the song gained more success than "Play That Funky Music". A music video for "Ice Ice Baby" was produced for $8000. The video was financed by Vanilla Ice's manager, Tommy Quon, and shot on the roof of a warehouse in Dallas, Texas.